Pucking Strong by Emily Rath easily creates the butterflies in your stomach, the giddy inducing magic that spreads through your chest , the tug of your heartstrings, the blush of the face fanning spice & the pure swoon worthy adoration that radiates through your veins all for the emotional & all encompassing love that is this story.

This is a slower burn romance than previous books that oh my rays 😉 is worth the wait with this spectacular & steamy story. It has a heart wrenching & heartbreaking beginning that starts this tale of rough times & hardship aided with an unwavering loyal friend that jettisons a beautiful roller coaster of a journey for this new found family in the midst of healing, grieving, growing, discovering & so much more.

This is book #4 in The Jacksonville Rays series, which can be read as a standalone. However, the Jacksonville Rays are what I dream of when I think of the epitome of love, family & community, which is why they’re my favorite team & I do recommend them all.

Pucking Strong is great for those looking to read…
🩵 Spicy MM Hockey Romance
🩵 Demisexual Representation
🩵 Marriage of Convenience (Guardian to Niece)
🩵 Pro Hockey Player x Physical Therapist
🩵 Forced/Close Proximity

I am in awe of the gorgeous world this author has created with her brilliance & magnetic storytelling in abundance of humor & heart that truly showcases a shining light on & celebrates that love truly is love. Reading these stories feels like a hug, a warm cup of cocoa, puppy cuddles & freshly baked cookies all in one. These heroes are so different from each other but without giving too much away, such a phenomenal pair.

This is the type of book that burrows into your soul to the point that when you finish, all you want to do is start it all over again. While I could easily write a multi-page review, if you are looking to feel all the feels & be smitten for these two beautiful heroes, I highly recommend Pucking Strong.

Massive thanks to NetGalley & Kensington Books for the gifted copy, which I voluntarily read & reviewed.

This was definitely a slooooow burn, as promised. It was also unbelievably sweet, tender, and gentle. (Don't worry, it had Emily Rath's signature spice, I promise.) Teddy and Henrik are probably her most normal and identifiable relationship yet, and I absolutely cannot wait for more.

Emily Rath's books are addicting! I have fallen in love with the Jacksonville Rays and all of the characters throughout this series. This book was no exception. I particularly liked how Teddy brought Henrik out of his shell, and Henrik celebrated Teddy's louder, more expressive personality.

Another Jacksonville Rays book—and once again, an absolutely AMAZING read! I seriously can’t get enough of this series. I’ll admit, I was a little nervous about the page count at first, but the pacing was so well done that it held my attention the entire time. This is hands down one of the best friends-to-lovers stories I’ve ever read. I especially loved that it followed a straightforward, chronological timeline—no flashbacks, just a natural build as they grew and fell in love. I’m already counting down the days until the next one!

This was a great follow up to the Jacksonville rays series I love immersing myself into any Emily Rath book. Thank you net galley!!!

Emily Rath returns with another emotionally rich and heartwarming installment in her bestselling Jacksonville Rays series. Pucking Strong, book four in the series, follows physical therapist Teddy O'Connor and star forward Henrik Karlsson through a journey of grief, healing, and unexpected love.

When Henrik’s world is turned upside down, Teddy steps in—not only as a supportive friend and colleague, but as the one person willing to go to extraordinary lengths to help. As the pair navigate media scrutiny, legal challenges, and their growing attraction, the boundaries of their arrangement blur in ways neither anticipated. The result is a story that masterfully blends forced proximity, found family, and a slow-burn romance into a powerful and deeply satisfying narrative.

A Story that Feels Like Home

Reading Pucking Strong is like being wrapped in a warm, familiar hug. Rath’s writing evokes a deep sense of belonging—each chapter draws readers into a world that’s vivid, intimate, and emotionally charged. From the very first chapters, the book delivers an emotional punch, with moments of raw vulnerability that evolve into joy, laughter, and genuine connection. Teddy and Henrik’s relationship is crafted with tenderness and authenticity, and the emotional rollercoaster they ride will resonate with anyone who’s ever loved deeply.

Strength in Representation and Heart

One of Rath’s greatest strengths lies in her celebration of love in all its diverse forms. As with the previous entries in the Jacksonville Rays series, Pucking Strong centers LGBTQ+ and multiracial relationships without sensationalising them. The representation is thoughtful and nuanced, reflecting the beautiful reality that love doesn’t look the same for everyone. The banter is sharp, often hilarious, and the dynamics between the main characters and their teammates feel like genuine camaraderie—an unbreakable bond that extends beyond the rink.

Teddy and Henrik balance one another perfectly. Their character arcs are given time to unfold naturally, allowing readers to truly invest in their journey. This slow burn is worth every page, and the chemistry between them is as tender as it is sizzling.

If Only It Didn't Have to End

The only weakness? It ends. Despite its 500+ pages, readers will likely be left wishing for more. Rath creates characters that feel like family, and saying goodbye—if only until the next book—leaves a tangible ache. It’s a testament to how well-developed her world and characters are that “The End” never feels like closure, only a pause in a greater narrative.

Final Thoughts

Pucking Strong is a beautiful, emotionally layered romance that stands strong on its own, but shines brightest when read as part of the broader Jacksonville Rays series. With themes of grief, healing, chosen family, and the courage to love, this book is a standout addition to the genre. For readers seeking spice, heart, and genuine emotional depth, this is a must-read.

Highly recommended for fans of LGBTQ+ romance, sports romance, found family tropes, and stories that linger long after the final page. If you haven’t picked up this series yet, you’re seriously missing out—it’s pucking fantastic.

Teddy + Henrik

-mm hockey romance
-marriage of convince
-single guardian
-unrequited love
-workplace romance
-demisexual rep
-found family

ohhhh my gooodddd emily fucking did it again!! this is 1000000x my favorite of the whole series now!! the slow burn!! the tension!! the longing!! the pining!!! the love for Carolina!! goddddd just kill me now cause it was all so perfect!! & don't even get me started on our UTTERLY PERFECT DEMISEXUAL KINNNGGGGG HENRIK MUTHAFCKN KARLSSON!!! literally, as a partner to someone who is also demi, the evolution of henriks revelations were alllll too real!! to think he was broken...to then NEEDDDINGGG teddy? just chefs kiss!! but that also just comes with the insecurities of someone who doesn't get it...like teddy did at first!! ugh this was just so beautiful!! & i know that emily is always one to own up to her books plots being "thin" but this one was actually perfectly even with the romance & we still got plenty of plot twists...ugh! i really just can't even handle them!!

“𝘠𝘰𝘶 𝘤𝘢𝘯’𝘵 𝘥𝘳𝘰𝘸𝘯 𝘪𝘧 𝘺𝘰𝘶’𝘳𝘦 𝘩𝘰𝘭𝘥𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘰𝘯𝘵𝘰 𝘵𝘩𝘦 𝘥𝘰𝘤𝘬."

"𝙄 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙝𝙮𝙩𝙝𝙢 𝙤𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙨𝙡𝙚𝙚𝙥. 𝙄 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙖𝙩𝙘𝙝 𝙤𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙨𝙪𝙧𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙨𝙚𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪. 𝙄 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙪𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙬 𝙤𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙗𝙧𝙤𝙬 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙙𝙤𝙣’𝙩 𝙜𝙚𝙩 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙬𝙖𝙮. 𝙄 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙠 𝙄 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙡𝙙 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙠𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝙤𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙘𝙝𝙚𝙚𝙠𝙨 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙢𝙮 𝙚𝙮𝙚𝙨 𝙘𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙙. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮’𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙢𝙚 𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧𝙨 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙠𝙮. 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙡𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙜𝙪𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙨 𝙢𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙢𝙚. 𝙏𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪. 𝘼𝙡𝙬𝙖𝙮𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪. 𝙊𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙩𝙤 𝙮𝙤𝙪. 𝙈𝙮 𝙡𝙞𝙛𝙚 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙢𝙮 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚, 𝙢𝙮 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙤𝙣𝙚."

Y'all. THIS BOOK IS FREAKING INCREDIBLE. Many of you might know that I'm a huge Emily Rath fangirl. It's also pretty obvious that I'm a huge fan of mm romance (funny enough, I attribute Pucking Around for getting me into it). Combine the two and I'm pretty much guaranteed to be feral. And THERE IS SO MUCH TO BE FERAL ABOUT IN PUCKING STRONG. Compared to Emily's other books, this book is much slower and much more emotional. Teddy and Henrik are thrown together unexpectedly and while there is a spark, it takes a while for it to grow, but when it does, it's SO worth it. Though you can still find Emily's signature banter, quirky characters, and wild spice in Pucking Strong, what I loved most is how much HEART it has. It's ABSOLUTELY a must read book!

I'm kind of obsessed with Teddy and his dynamic with Henrik. If you, like me, were a big fan of Jake and Caleb in Pucking Around, you are going to LOVE their vibes. Teddy is dramatic and a little goofy, but he's also a total sweetheart with a HUGE unrequited (he assumes) crush on Henrik. His selfless heart leads him to agree to a marriage of convenience to help Henrik gain guardianship of his orphaned niece, but he finds it incredibly difficult to pretend that he doesn't have actual feelings for him. Something I didn't know going in was that Henrik is demisexual - he makes it clear to Teddy that he's never really felt attraction for anyone. He's stoic and practical and hard to read... until he finds himself completely captivated by his new husband. I love that he kind of surprises himself with his growing feelings. Though he finds this kind of overwhelming, and they try to go slow, when Henrik finally goes full heart eyes, protective/possessive over Teddy, I SWOONED. Think touch-starved, fated mates kinda vibes - I was EATING IT UP.

I LOVED the single dad(ish) rep in this book - the scenes with Karolina were SO SWEET. It was kind of nice that both Teddy and Henrik were learning to be parents at the same time, definitely a different dynamic than most single dad books. And OMG, we get appearances from ALL of the Jacksonville Rays from previous book, and I was HERE FOR IT. The WAG jacket scene had me ROLLING, Teddy and Novy's shenanigans were hilarious, Poppy continues to be my spirit animal. I literally cannot get enough of these characters, and this book kind of brought them all together in the best way.

Friends, I think this might be Emily's best book yet. It's so much fun, had me both laughing and crying, just a joy to read. I did have several people ask me about reading this one as a standalone for various reasons, and while I do think it can be done, I highly recommend at least being familiar with the other books in the series for context. Regardless of how you read it, PLEASE get it on your TBR because it's such an incredible read - absolutely one of the best books I've read this year.

Pucking Strong is the fourth book in the Jacksonville Rays series written by Emily Rath.

What to expect:
*Marriage of convenience
*Hockey MM romance
*Grief, Hurt, Comfort

Dr. Emily Rath, you have my heart and soul wrapped up in the Jacksonville Rays book series!! Please don’t ever stop writing love stories that show that families can be made up of all shapes, sizes, genders, and sexual orientations!!

Teddy and Henrik are what true soul mate love matches look like, the love and respect that these two characters had for each other is truly inspirational! Another wonderfully written title in this series!

Please read the trigger warnings from the author, this book does contain some heavy topics including loss of a loved one and dementia/Alzheimers of a loved one.

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing for the opportunity to read and review this title!

Format: NetGalley ebook
Genre: Contemporary, romance
Overall score:⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Spice level:🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️
Characters: Teddy (MMC) & Henrik (MMC)

I absolutely loved Henrik and Teddy. Their story was powerful and wonderfully well written. Henrik’s development over the course of the story was beautiful. I really enjoyed this series and story. It’s one of my favorites series in recent times. I highly recommend this book and the series.

Emily Rath has really perfected the queer romance. This story from the Jacksonville Rays series featuring Teddy and Henrik was both sweet and spicy. I give it a 3.5🌶️ and 5/5 🍭🧁🍯 romance. I was giddy and on the edge of my seat anticipating all their firsts and it had me tearing through this book so I could get to them.

Ich durfte den vierten Teil der Jacksonville Rays Serie schon vorab lesen und es war wie immer großartig. Prickelnder Spice, spannende Story, liebenswerte Charaktere. Henrik und Teddy gehen durch traurige Umstände einen Fake Dating Deal ein, doch eigentlich hat zumindest einer der beiden schon länger Gefühle für den anderen. Der erste pure m|m Roman, der Hockey Romance Queen Emily Rath. Jetzt vorbestellen!

This is one of my most anticipated reads of the year and it was everything I hoped it would be. This is a lovely slow burn romance where two very different people come together to create a family.

Henrik is emotionally and physically a little closed off, never having found real connection with anyone other than his sister and his niece, until Teddy just bursts his way into his life. I loved how he slowly comes out of his shell and begins to bond more with his team, and brings warmth into his home with Teddy.

Teddy is the cinnamon roll we all love, selfless and ready to do what's right even if it means lying a little. His relationship with their "daughter" is so cute! He is the heart of the story and can pull off a WAG jacket like no other.

I want to read this again already!

Emily has done it again. I have been waiting for Teddy's story since we met him in Pucking Around and it did not disappoint. This is the first book that really time jumps from the rest, we start 6 years after Rachel moved to Florida in Pucking Around and all the other couples are fully set in their lives and the events of the HEA novellas are all passed.

I enjoyed the bits we get to see of the old crew but this really is Henrik and Teddy (and Karoline)'s story. The way my heart broke multiple times throughout as Henrik dealt with his grief over losing his sister and fighting for custody of Karro, as Teddy led with his heart knowing chances were slim that Henrik would ever feel the same way. It was such a sweet, slow burn for Henrik and Teddy while Karro just immediately fit right into their lives. Per usual, the spice once it hits is top tier but this book is all about the swoonyness. It breaks your heart and then puts it back together and just makes you feel so good. I loved it so much.

I enjoyed reading Pucking Strong. I finished the book in 2 days. There are still some spelling errors, but I know they’ll be taken care of before the book goes to press. I do feel like the book had some slow spots, but over all fully enjoyed the book. I will be purchasing the book & will absolutely recommend to future guests interested in MM spicy romance.

Pucking Strong by Emily Rath is book 4 in the Jacksonville Rays Series. Every book is about another couple and can easily be read as a stand alone.
Jackson is one of the stars of the Jacksonville Rays and he needs help.
Teddy is a doctor who worked with the team in the past.
What follows is a marriage of convenience with a twist. a beautiful, heartwrenching story that gives all the feels, deserves all the stars.
This is a slow burn, mm sports romance, workplace romance, excellent written, literally unputdownable.
U recommend the book and the series, 5 stars.

This is by far the best Pucking Story. The love of my life will always be Illmari. He is my ultimate dream. The way Emily Wrath can make us feel every emotion and relate to any of her characters with just her words is beyond amazing. To feel that connection is so rare that when I get close to the ending, I slow my reading because I don't want it to end. Now I am in a serious hangover. I need more.

I loved Teddy and Henrik’s story!! This book is a great balance between serious, hopeful, and (of course) spicy! I enjoyed Henrik’s journey of self-discovery with his sexuality, and I’m so glad Teddy got his happy ending. Can’t wait for the next book!

Wow, wow, wow, this was such a good read. As someone who completely forgot about both Teddy and Henrik, the focus on them drew me in and I think they may be one of my favorite couplings in the series (second to Mars and Caleb...iykyk).

Granted, they did rush into things and we went down the lane of some classic tropes, but the bonding and understanding between the two were adorable. Watching Henrik comes out of his shell for Teddy and watching Teddy get to be loved while unapologetically himself was -chefs kiss-. There's no third act breakup (thank gosh) and communication is their strongest point. They constantly called each other out on their bs and others around them did as well.

I'm also very happy that the relationship occured years after our other three families. I cannot imagine what a hassle it would have been to add in a fourth coupling during the other three timelines. My brain hurts just thinking of it. Since this story is set 6 years after the others, we get to see everyone grow (especially the kids) and see how well their relationship dynamics play out. Although, I think this is the least mention of Rachel Price in all of the stories.

Overall, the inclusion of this MM couple who are not only interracial/international has me giddy. We get to see them stumble and fumble into parenting while also falling in love. I'm guessing this is the end of the series? Or if not, I'd love to get more novellas.

I've been a fan of Emily Rath's Jax Rays series for a while, and I am truly blessed to have found such a wonderful world of memorable characters. As the story progresses, you definitely see the growth of each character, and it's always a pleasure to see familiar names across the pages. Pucking Strong was absolutely fantastic. The voices of Teddy and Henrik are strong from beginning to end. The pacing was a slow burn this time but it made the tension, pining, and yearning between the characters stronger when the romance finally blossoms. Teddy, Henrik, and Karro's story made me laugh and cry, and it was such a delight to get to know each of them personally--and as the story unfolds, you can't help but root for all of them and their deserved HEA. Besides the romance, you learn so much about various cultures and familial dynamics through Teddy and Henrik's narratives. There was never a second where I put the book down willingly, and I was hooked from the moment the story started. Rath's craft to let the characters become their own voice is a gift. Even if it's been a while with seeing past characters, their voices are still strong and familiar and unchanged (i.e. Rachel, Tess, Jake, Novy, Poppy, etc.). It's been an honor to be allowed to read Pucking Strong's ADC, and I cannot wait until it finally releases for the world to also read and cherish! Thank you again!